"Fuddy-duddy" (or "fuddy duddy" or "fuddy-dud") is a term for a person who is fussy while old-fashioned, traditionalist, conformist or conservative, sometimes almost to the point of
eccentricity
Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to:
* Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal"
Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics
* Off-center, in geometry
* Eccentricity (graph theory) of a v ...
or
geek
The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In th ...
iness. It is a
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...
term, mildly derogatory but sometimes affectionate too and can be used to describe someone with a zealous focus on order.
Etymology
"Fuddy-duddy" is considered a word based on
duplication
Duplication, duplicate, and duplicator may refer to:
Biology and genetics
* Gene duplication, a process which can result in free mutation
* Chromosomal duplication, which can cause Bloom and Rett syndrome
* Polyploidy, a phenomenon also known ...
and may have originated as a fused phrase made to form a rhyming jingle. Duddy is similar to Daddy and may have caught on from children's rhyming.
Douglas Harper of the ''Online Etymology Dictionary'' reports it from "1871, American English, of uncertain origin." However, ''Dictionary.com Unabridged'' compares it to a Northern English
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...
al term: "1900-05; of obscure origin; compare dial. (
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
) ''duddy-fuddiel'' a ragged fellow."
Gary Martin states: "William Dickinson's A glossary of words and phrases pertaining to the dialect of Cumberland, 1899, has:
"Duddy fuddiel, a ragged fellow""
and "in 1833, the Scots poet James Ballantyne wrote ''The Wee Raggit Laddie'':
Wee stuffy, stumpy, dumpie laddie,
Thou urchin elfin, bare an' duddy,
Thy plumpit kite an' cheek sae ruddy,
Are fairly baggit,
Although the breekums on thy fuddy,
Are e'en right raggit."
Application
"Fuddy-duddy" is used to indicate "stuffiness" and "outmoded tastes and manners". For example, the
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
car manufacturer was referred to as a "fuddy-duddy" brand in a 2004 ''
Popular Science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
'' article.
Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book ''The Devil's Dictionary'' was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by t ...
's story ''Who Drives Oxen Should Himself be Sane'', published in 1918, starts out with a use of the word and discussion of it as a "unique
adjuration An adjurist (from the Latin word "adjure", meaning to swear or to exorcise) is a follower of religious teachings that, per the Catholic Encyclopedia, are defined as "an urgent demand made upon another to do something, or to desist from doing somethi ...
". The term is also used in the title of
juvenile fiction
Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults.
The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...
including Kay Hoflander's ''The Chautauqua Kids and the Fuddy Duddy Daddy: A Tale of Pancakes & Baseball'', and the ''Uncle Fuddy-Duddy'' series by Roy Windham and Polly Rushton.
Gender
"Fuddy-duddy" is often used to refer to a man perceived as stodgy or foolish. It has been used throughout the 20th century, but its origins are unknown. The short form "fud" may relate to the
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
cartoon character
Elmer Fudd
Elmer J.''Hare Brush'' (1956) Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes''/'' Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon pantheo ...
. The terms frump and old fart have also been used as words to designate similar qualities.
Female figures have been labelled with terms of a similar meaning, including "school marm" or "marm", which could be used for an older female disciplinarian such as a stereotypical type of strict teacher.
Regional lingo
"Fuddy-duddy" was often used as a verb by a native of the state of Maine... in the sense of 'to act in a foolish or ineffectual manner'.
Dictionary of American Regional English
D – H, Volume 2 By Frederic G. Cassidy page 597
See also
* Fuddle duddle
The fuddle duddle incident in Canadian political history occurred on February 16, 1971, when Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau was alleged to have spoken or at least mouthed unparliamentary language in the House of Commons, causing a minor sc ...
* Prude
A prude (Old French ''prude'' meaning honourable woman) is a person who is described as (or would describe themselves as) being concerned with decorum or propriety, significantly in excess of normal prevailing standards. They may be perceived as ...
* Prig
A prig () is a person who shows an inordinately zealous approach to matters of form and propriety—especially where the prig has the ability to show superior knowledge to those who do not know the protocol in question. They see little need to con ...
References
{{Bullying
Pejorative terms for people
Prudishness